Gishwati Mukura National Park

Rwanda’s newest national treasure, Gishwati-Mukura National Park, is made up of two distinct forests — the larger Gishwati and the smaller Mukura — covering 34 square kilometers, along with a protective buffer zone.

Perched on the ridge dividing the Congo and Nile watersheds, this park lies along the incredibly rich Albertine Rift, one of Africa’s most biodiverse regions. Within its 60 species of trees, including indigenous hardwoods and towering bamboo, life thrives.

Gishwati shelters a community of around 20 chimpanzees, living side by side with golden monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, and blue monkeys. Bird enthusiasts will be delighted, with over 230 bird species recorded in Gishwati and 160 in Mukura, including rare Albertine Rift endemics and forest specialists.

Since 2019, visitors can explore the park through guided nature hikes, chimp and monkey tracking, birdwatching tours, and visits to scenic waterfalls. Once heavily degraded by resettlement, mining, and farming, the park’s designation in 2015 marked a turning point — aiming to restore forest cover, stabilize slopes, improve soil fertility, and protect vital water streams.

Beyond conservation, Gishwati-Mukura is deeply connected to its neighboring communities. Visitors can join in community-based activities such as farm stays, live cultural performances, handicraft workshops, beekeeping experiences, tea plantation tours, and learning from traditional healers who share their knowledge of medicinal plants.

This unique blend of wildlife, conservation, and cultural heritage makes Gishwati-Mukura a rising star in Rwanda’s ecotourism landscape.